Federal Government focused on building modern prisons – Dambazau

Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau has said the Federal Government has come up with plans of building modern prisons across the country.

Federal Government focused on building modern prisons – Dambazau

In an event held on Saturday in Abuja, the Minister said:

“most of our prisons, particularly those situated in urban centres are more than a century old; over a hundred years old. So, what we do is to ensure that we build modern prisons that will meet the required universal standard for the treatment and rehabilitation of prison inmates”.

Dambazzau offered some perspective at the inauguration of some projects at the Headquarters of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) in the nation’s capital, Pulse NG reports.

According to him, the moribund correctional facilities in the country are in dire need of rehabilitation or outright replacement and now is the time for the facilities to receive upgrade across the country.

Nigeria has over 1,400 prisons across the country and most of them are in a poor state and over-populated.

According to the NPS, there are over 73,000 inmates in these facilities with more than 23,000 convicted. No fewer than 49,000 inmates are awaiting trial for various offences they are said to have committed.